Device for the continuous production of packages

ABSTRACT

A band of wrapping material is continuously withdrawn with uniform speed from a supply roll and wrapped tubularly about rectangular articles supplied to said band with the same speed and moving lengthwise always in the same direction. Transversely moving cutting devices and folding members-which during their operational movement also are moved with uniform speed lengthwise with the tubular wrapping and the articles therein-firstly cut into the tubular wrapping, of course between the articles therein, then fold the end portions of the wrappings projecting from the articles against the ends and bottom of the articles, and finally the completed packages are separated from each other by cutting a single longitudinal bottom flap which was formed on the wrapping at the time it was wrapped tubularly around the uniformly spaced articles.

United States Patent Heinzer [54] DEVICE FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF PACKAGES [72] Inventor: Hans l'leinzer, Beringen, Switzerland [73] Assignee: Schweizerische lndustrie-Gesellschait,

Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland [22] Filed: Aug. 26, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 677,052

[30] Foreign Application Priority Date Sept. 4, 1969 Switzerland ..l34l4/69 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,007,295 11/1961 Heinzer ..s3/1so 1451 June 27, 1972 Krafi ..53/28 X Griner ..53/28 X [57] ABSTRACT A band of wrapping material is continuously withdrawn with uniform speed from a supply roll and wrapped tubularly about rectangular articles supplied to said band with the same speed and moving lengthwise always in the same direction. Transversely moving cutting devices and folding members-which during their operational movement also are moved with uniform speed lengthwise with the tubular wrapping and the articles therein-firstly cut into the tubular wrapping, of course between the articles therein, then fold the end portions of the wrappings projecting from the articles against the ends and bottom of the articles, and finally the completed packages are separated from each other by cutting a single longitudinal bottom flap which was formed on the wrapping at the time it was wrapped tubularly around the uniformly spaced articles.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures DEVICE FOR THE CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION OF PACKAGES The invention relates to a device for the continuous production of packages from a band of wrapping material which is withdrawn from a supply roll and is provided with a conveyor device which feeds articles to be wrapped toward the band of wrapping material. The device also includes a folding assembly which converts the band of wrapping material into a tube which surrounds the articles; pairs of rollers for moving the packages forwardly, as well as members which form a longitudinal seam in the wrapping material tube; a first cutting device for producing transversely extending cuts in the wrapping material tube; a second cutting device for separating the tube into tubular sections, and finally there are provided folding elements for forming the end folds on the package.

Devices of this type are already known. Contrary to such devices in which the tube which surrounds the articles is closed by simple transverse welded seams and which thereafter is then separated into individual packages, the known devices which form flaps in the wrapping and fold the same against the end faces of the articles whereby these flaps are produced from the projecting tubular end parts have a very complicated construction. The packages during their path toward the individual operating stations have to be deflected and have to be moved partly with variable speed.

The object of the invention is a device which has a much simpler construction, operates without deflection of the packages, and is easily adapted to produce packages of different sizes.

In accordance with the invention, the folding elements for the end flaps of the packages comprise folding bodies which travel along an endless guide path, and the latter is provided with a stationary cam member which is employed during the movement of the folding bodies along said guide path to move all of the folding bodies into and out of their operative position.

The drawing illustrates diagrammatically and by way of example a device constructed in accordance with the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates diagrammatically a side elevation view of the device.

The FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and8 illustrate the shape of the package during the individual operations which are performed on the tubular wrapping in the device illustrated in FIG. 1, and FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the cutting device at the operating station VII of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, the diagrammatically illustrated device of the invention is provided with a supply roll 2 from which a band of wrapping material 1 is withdrawn and is, first of all, guided over a deflection roller 3 before it is introduced into a customary folding assembly 4. The articles 5 to be wrapped are supplied to the band of wrapping material in known manner by a conveyor device 7 and are slidably moved by tappets 47, uniformly spaced along a horizontal slide path 6 and in this condition enter the folding assembly 4. During the passage of the articles through the folding assembly 4, the wrapping material 1 is gradually converted into a tubular shape and thereby is placed around the articles 5 which as shown are rectangular in shape. This takes place in such manner that in the center of the lower side of the tubular wrapping, is formed a vertically downwardly extending longitudinal flap In.

FIG. 2 illustrates the condition of the package at the position II in FIG. I. The downwardly extending longitudinal flap 1a is sealed in known manner by a heated pair of rollers 8 or by feeding an adhesive into the two edge portions forming this flap to cause an adherence of these abutting edges. Additional pairs of rollers effect in known manner a forward movement of the tubular wrapper with the article therein in a lengthwise direction.

At the operating station III, the top face and the side walls of the rectangular tube are cut vertically with a knife blade 10. The knife blade l0 moves downwardly up to the bottom surface of the tube without, however, cutting the latter, as is illustrated by the cutting line 21 in FIG. 3. Since the tubular wrapping 1 is moved lengthwise or horizontally with uniform speed, it is required that the knife blade 10 during its cutting stroke also moves with the same uniform speed at least as long as the cutting blade remains in the tubular wrapping of the package.

In the following operating stations IV to VIlI are performed the individual folding operations for closing the ends of the packages. For this purpose, an endless guide path 11 is arranged above the feed path of the package. In this endless guide path are arranged uniformly spaced frames 13 provided with traction rollers 12. All of the frames 13 are connected with each other by a non-illustrated endless chain and they are driven in such manner that the frames which in any one instance will be positioned above the tubular wrapping, will be moved with uniform speed which is the same as the speed with which the tubular package is moved in its horizontal forward direction.

Each frame 13 carries a folding member 14 attached to one end of a shaft 15 whose other free end has mounted thereon a roller 16. The shaft 15 is longitudinally slidably mounted inthe frame 13. Within the guide path 11 is arranged a stationary control cam member 18 which is engaged by the roller 16 on the shaft 15. Pre-tensioned springs 17 on both sides of the shaft 15 urge the folding body 14 continuously against the guide path 11, so that the roller 16 on the shaft 15 is constantly pressed against the control cam member 18 and this has the result that the folding body for the purpose of performing the necessary folding operation is moved synchronously with the tubular wrapping and is moved into and out of engagement with the tubular wrapping 1. At the operation station IV, the folding body 15 is moved into the space formed between two adjacent articles in the tube 14 and folds, as shown in FIG. 4, the tube faces 22 of the tube against the end faces of the tow adjacent articles. In this manner, re formed triangular side flaps 23 at the ends of two adjacent packages. In the range of the operating station V, the folding body 14 is raised and the side flaps 23 are then folded inwardly by two horizontally movable folding bodies 19 which move transversely to the forward movement of the tubular wrapping.

These transversely and horizontally movable bodies 19 are illustrated in top view below the operating station V in FIG. 1. After this side folding, the package has the shape as shown in FIG. 5. Duringthis last described folding stroke the supports 5 for the folding bodies 19 are moved with the same speed forwardly as the tubular wrapping. The two folding bodies 19 carry at their front end each a downwardly extending blade 46 and during the folding stroke of the bodies 19, these blades 46 cut into the bottom of the tubular wrapping between successive side flaps 23, so that a clean inward folding of these side flaps 23 i insured. The individual packages are now connected with each other solely by the downwardly extending longitudinal flap 1a.

At the operating station VI, the folding body 14 has again been moved into a lower position and a folding blade 20 folds the longitudinal flap la into the plane of the bottom surface of the package, as shown in FIG. 6.

At the operating station VII a second cutting device 25 is provided, the operation of which will be explained later in more detail with reference to FIG. 9. This cutting device 25 cuts through the horizontally disposed longitudinal flap Ia so that, as shown in FIG. 7, the packages have been completely separated from each other. However, the bottom flaps 24 still project outwardly. At the operating station W", the folding bodies 14 take over alone the further advancing movement of the packages. The folding body 14 is lowered somewhat more, so that the forwardly directed bottom flap 24, looking into the direction of the movement of the packages, will be grasped by a folding member 26 and will be folded against the bottom surface of the package. In this position, the flap 24 may be sealed or cemented in position by a non-illustrated device.

At the operating station IX, the rear bottom flaps 24, when looking in the direction of movement of the packing, is placed against the bottom face of the package. For this purpose, the bottom flap 24 is bent downwardly by a rotary arm 27 and is engaged by the edge 28a of a rotary folding disc 28 and is placed against the bottom face of the package, as this is shown in FIG. 8. The parts 27 and 28 are shown at the operating station [X in elevation view.

The completed packages are then moved by tappets 30 of a conveyor device 29 away from the folding device.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the second cutting device 25 which is employed at the operating station VII. The housing 25 of the cutting device 25 is rotatably supported in horizontally alined axially spaced bearings 31. One end of the housing 25' has the bearing pin 31a to which is attached a gear wheel 32 which meshes with other gear wheels not illustrated and is rotated with such speed that the circumferential speed of the circumferential wall 250 of the housing 25 corresponds to the feeding speed of the packages. The housing 25' viewed from the side has the shape of a cylindrical section. Within the housing 25' a rod 33 is axially slidably supported along the axis of rotation of the housing 25'. This rod 33 is provided with rack teeth 34 which are engaged by a gear wheel 35 rotatable about a transverse shaft 36 in the housing. The gear wheel 35 is rigidly connected with a knife blade 37. At one end, the housing 25 is attached to a fork 38 in which an angular lever 40 is pivotally mounted about a pin 39. This lever 40 carries a roller 41 which engages a stationary cam face 42 when the housing 25 is rotated. The rod 33 has secured thereto a cross pin 44 which engages a slot 43 provided in the angular lever 40. A pre-tensioned spring 45 urges the rod 33 and therewith the angular lever 40 toward the righthand side of FIG. 9, so that the roller 41 always engages the cam surface 42. During each movement of the folding body 14 in the operating station VII, the housing 25' will be moved into the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 9, in which the knife blade 37 is caused to project from the housing 25 in order to cut the bottom with the folded longitudinal flap 1a.

In the event that one desired to wrap groups of stacked individual articles, then these articles, in order to prevent a relative slidable movement of the same with respect to each other and in order to eliminate any disturbance caused thereby, have to be kept under constant control. For this purpose, the conveyor device 7 is extended forwardly so far that the tappets 47 remain so long in engagement with the rear end of the stacked units to be packed until the associated folding body 14 enters in front of the group into the tubular wrapping.

What I claim is:

1. Device for continuously producing packages comprising means to support a supply roll of wrapping material, means for withdrawing the wrapping material in the fonn of a band from said roll and guiding it to a folding means for wrapping it in tubular form around articles supplied to said folding means by a conveyor means, roller means for advancing said articles and said tubular wrapping around the same along a straight path, means for forming a longitudinal seam which projects downwardly from said tubular wrapping, a first cutting device for producing transverse cuts in said tubular wrapping between the articles therein, a second cutting device for separating said tubular wrapping into tubular portions, each having an article therein, and folding means for folding the ends of said tubular portion in the form of flaps against the articles, wherein the improvement comprises means forming an endless guide path (1 1) arranged above the path along which said articles and tubular wrapping are moved and that said folding means comprise folding members (14) and means moving the same along said endless guide path, and a stationary cam member (18) engaged by said folding member the shape of said stationary cam member being such that during the movement of said folding members in said endless guide path they are transversely moved toward and away from said tubular wrappings and during their movement toward said tubular wrappings perform a folding of the flaps against the articles in said tubular wrappin 2. Device according to c aim 1, including a shaft on each of said folding members, a frame for each of said folding member provided with track rollers for permitting said frame with the folding member thereon to move in said endless guide path, said shafts being longitudinally slidably supported in said frame, a roller at one of said shafts facing said stationary cam member, and spring means for urging said folding members with their shafts and rollers continuously in engagement with said stationary cam member.

3. Device according to claim 1, in which said second cutting device (25) comprises a knife blade (37) for cutting said longitudinal seam (19) formed on said tubular wrapping, a rotary housing in which said knife blade is mounted so as to be projected from and retracted into said housing, a rack bar movable axially with respect to said rotary housing, means operatively connecting said rack bar with said knife blade and a pivotally mounted lever mechanism on said housing for operating said rack bar and carrying a roller in engagement with a stationary cam surface (42).

4. Device according to claim 1, in which said first cutting device provides said tubular wrapping in the range where the folding means engage the same with transverse cuts (22) extending only through the top wall and the side walls of the tubular wrapping which has a rectangular shape.

5. Device according to claim 1, in which said first cutting device provides said tubular wrapping in the range where the folding means engage the same with transverse cuts (22) extending only through the top wall and the side walls of the tubular wrapping which has a rectangular shape, said transverse cuts being produced by said first cutting device after said rectangular tubular wrapping has been completed.

6. Device according to claim 1, in which said folding means includes a pair of oppositely and transversely movable folding members (19) which periodically engage said tubular wrappings to fold the flaps previously produced by the folding members moving in said endless guide path and controlled by said stationary cam member.

7. Device according to claim 1, in which said folding means includes a pair of oppositely and transversely movable folding members (19) which periodically engage said tubular wrappings to fold the flaps previously produced by the folding members moving in said endless guide path and controlled by said stationary cam member, said transversely moving folding members (19) being provided with a downwardly projecting blade (46) which during the folding stroke of said last mentioned folding members produces a cut in the side flaps (23) formed by the folding members (14) controlled by said stationary cam member.

0' I! l l 

1. Device for continuously producing packages comprising means to support a supply roll of wrapping material, means for withdrawing the wrapping material in the form of a band from said roll and guiding it to a folding means for wrapping it in tubular form around articles supplied to said folding means by a conveyor means, roller means for advancing said articles and said tubular wrapping around the same along a straight path, means for forming a longitudinal seam which projects downwardly from said tubular wrapping, a first cutting device for producing transverse cuts in said tubular wrapping between the articles therein, a second cutting device for separating said tubular wrapping into tubular portions, each having an article therein, and folding means for folding the ends of said tubular portion in the form of flaps against the articles, wherein the improvement comprises means forming an endless guide path (11) arranged above the path along which said articles and tubular wrapping are moved and that said folding means comprise folding members (14) and means moving the same along said endless guide path, and a stationary cam member (18) engaged by said folding member the shape of said stationary cam member being such that during the movement of said folding members in said endless guide path they are transversely moved toward and away from said tubular wrappings and during their movement toward said tubular wrappings perform a folding of the flaps against the articles in said tubular wrappings.
 2. Device according to claim 1, including a shaft on each of said folding members, a frame for each of said folding member provided with track rollers for permitting said frame with the folding member thereon to move in said endless guide path, said shafts being longitudinally slidably supported in said frame, a roller at one of said shafts facing said stationary cam member, and spring means for urging said folding members with their shafts and rollers continuously in engagement with said stationary cam member.
 3. Device according to claim 1, in which said second cutting device (25) comprises a knife blade (37) for cutting said longitudinal seam (19) formed on said tubular wrapping, a rotary housing in which said knife blade is mounted so as to be projected from and retracted into said housing, a rack bar movable axially with respect to said rotary housing, means operatively connecting said rack bar with said knife blade and a pivotally mounted lever mechanism on said housing for operating said rack bar and carrying a roller in engagement with a stationary cam surface (42).
 4. Device according to claim 1, in which said first cutting device provides said tubular wrapping in the range where the folding means engage the same with transverse cuts (22) extending only through the top wall and the side walls of the tubular wrapping which has a rectangular shape.
 5. Device according to claim 1, in which said first cutting device provides said tubular wrapping in the range where the folding means engage the same with transverse cuts (22) extending only through the top wall and the side walls of the tubular wrapping which has a rectangular shape, said transverse cuts being produced by said first cutting device after said rectangular tubular wrapping has been completed.
 6. Device according to claim 1, in which said folding means includes a pair of oppositely and transversely movable folding members (19) which periodically engage said tubular wrappings to fold the flaps previously produced by the folding members moving in said endless guide path and controlled by said stationary cam member.
 7. Device according to claim 1, in which said folding means includes a pair of oppositely and transversely movable folding members (19) which periodically engage said tubular wrappings to fold the flaps previously produced by the folding members moving in said endless guide path and controlled by said stationary cam member, said transversely moving folding members (19) being provided with a downwardly projecting blade (46) which during the folding stroke of said last mentioned folding members produces a cut in the side flaps (23) formed by the folding members (14) controlled by said stationary cam member. 